Then and Now
by NeverLookBackSamurai
Summary: The Archivists in charge of the First Rahi Project discover something more unexpected than just monstrous rahi. Who is this powerful female, and just what does she mean to the future of Metru Nui? WhenuaOC
1. The First Rahi Project Find

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bionicle or any material related to Greg Farshtey or Lego in any way or form.

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A/N: Inspired (once again) by Nikira12's work. I decided to snoop through some words of the Maori, and found out that the word "whenua" in Te Reo (the language of the Maori) means "land" or "country." Lastly, I rarely see any stories involving the stone or earth Toa as the main characters, so I decided to write one. Enjoy!

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_It was dark in… wherever she was. She could feel her small confines being tossed and turned, feel the dull impacts of something heavy and forceful as she slumbered, only half-aware of whatever surroundings were outside her small compartment. Pain crept into her mind as the sounds of chaos grew, a cry for help echoing in the madness, tormenting her sensitive ears, and she came to realize that the swirling and rushing noises outside came from what she assumed was some sort of liquid. Suddenly, something slammed into her confines and her eyes snapped open fully for the first time in millennia. Violet eyes took in the pale light seeping into her prison from a crack just inches from her head, as well as the liquid that trickled in. There was another slam, and she stared at the crack, now gushing water, and she covered her ears against the cacophony it added to the clamoring outside. The pain was getting worse; it felt like her head was about to split open, and in her agony, she screamed._

Whenua wasn't quite sure what had happened. One minute he was shoving Mavrah out of the way of one of the rahi's tentacles, and the next he found himself swirling in a whirlpool of protodermis and monsters with no way to tell which way was up or down. He cried out as one of the rahi spotted him, opening its maw wide to swallow him, and Whenua shut his eyes, prepared for the pain. Belatedly, he mentally hit himself for letting go of the last breath of air he would ever have in this life, but instead of the rahi's bite, he felt something tug on his arm as he and his rescuer rocketed for what he assumed was the surface, leaving a stunned rahi at the bottom of the lake. Whenua watched, horrified, as the other monsters fell upon the helpless beast, and he turned his face away, pleading with the Great Spirits that whoever or _whatever_ had rescued him wasn't planning on having him for dinner as well.

Seconds later, Whenua found himself flying through the air before landing hard on another body. The Onu-Matoran gratefully took a deep breath, coughing out what little water had managed to flood his lungs.

"Whenua! Are you all right?" cried Onepu and Mavrah, rushing over to help their fellow Archivist sit up. After making sure Whenua was still alive and breathing, they helped him over toward his rescuer, only to freeze in shock at what they saw. It was a young female lying curled up on her side, coughing harshly and moaning as she covered her ears. Her hair was a dark brown, almost black, and her clothes were a silvery grey, darkened by the water. Whenua blinked and walked over to her, crouching beside her as he tried to help her sit up. The young woman groaned softly, opening her eyes to look up at him briefly. The Archivist gasped as he saw her brilliant violet irises before she shut her eyes, falling into unconsciousness. His emerald eyes caught a glint of something silver, and he pushed her dripping hair aside to see the choker she wore around her neck. Onepu and Mavrah crept closer, bodies crowding around the unconscious female, and they realized what the charm on the choker meant. It was Mavrah who broke the silence among them.

"A… Toa?"


	2. Finding Self

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bionicle or any material related to Greg Farshtey or Lego in any way or form.

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Note: I recently put a few of the Metru Nui arc books into storage, so some things may be off. Also, I'm not really sure of how some of the characters acted as Matoran, or just in general, so I apologize if characters are OOC.

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_Sleep, when it came, always felt good. It gave her a sense of tranquility, healing her as she drifted through the cosmos of dreams. However, this sleep did not make her feel at ease. _

_ All around, there were faint noises like screeches, echoing through her mind. She saw a landscape of skyscrapers and a single building outshining all the rest fall into darkness. Eyes fell closed in a sea of swirling grey, and red clouds shrouded the horizon. The voices grew louder when she felt the bite of a thousand knives cutting into her flesh, wrapping tighter around her as she struggled against the pain. She heard the screams coming closer, and she couldn't cover her ears to stop them to silence the madness she heard cloistering around her, winding around her and threatening to suffocate her. She could pick out individual voices, shrieking for help in her mind. She shut her eyes, sobbing._

_ "Help us, please!"_

_ "Please, you must help us!"_

_ "Toa! Anyone! Help!"_

_ The voices grew louder and she herself began to scream, trying to drown out the sounds of their voices calling to her, pleading._

_ "Rangi…" _

_ "No!"_

_ "Rangi, open your eyes."A gentle hand was laid on her shoulder. Trembling, she opened her eyes… And all she saw was red._

_ "NO!"_

The young woman sat bolt upright in the bed, throwing the cloth Whenua had just placed on her forehead to the ground. She gasped for air, tears streaming down her face, eyes wide and body covered in a cold sweat. Her undershirt and shorts were damp with sweat, and Whenua froze as he looked at her, concern obvious on his face. They'd found the young woman in the secret sub-levels of the Archives where the First Rahi Project was being held, and she had been unconscious for nearly a day since. Turaga Dume had permitted Whenua, Onepu, and Mavrah time off from their work for as long as necessary for the female to recover, but it was only Whenua who truly used that time to care for the young woman. Onepu would have switched roles with Whenua, but he insisted that since Whenua got too caught up in his work sometimes, Onepu would be the one to keep an eye on the absent-minded Mavrah. Thus, the Onu-Matoran took it upon himself to care for the female, finding it slightly ironic that a Toa would need his help.

The female was panting, hands wiping at her face and eyes, trying to be rid of the sweat and tears dripping from her face. She drew her knees up to her chest, burying her face in them to muffle her sobs. Whenua swallowed and picked up the cloth on the floor, dipping it back into the basin of water beside him.

"Are you all right?" he asked tentatively. The female froze, a shudder visibly running through her. Cautiously, she turned her gaze toward him, and he was once more stunned by her bright purple eyes. The young woman gazed at him, vaguely recognizing the young man's deep green eyes, chocolate-brown hair, and gentle smile.

"…Yes," she whispered, trembling. The Onu-Matoran gazed at her, and suddenly it clicked in his head. She was _afraid_ of him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Toa," he said. She frowned at the unfamiliar word.

"…Toa?"

"Yes. You are a Toa, aren't you?" The female opened her mouth to speak, before closing it again, unsure about what to say. Her body began to relax slightly, and she finally spoke up.

"I don't remember." Whenua blinked. From what he'd heard from Toa Lhikan, it was nearly impossible for a Toa to not remember where he or she came from. He scratched his head. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Well, I guess that's okay. No doubt Turaga Dume and Toa Lhikan will be able to help you. After all, you did save me from those Rahi, so…" She fixed her gaze directly on the Onu-Matoran, and he felt a shiver run through his body.

"You're the one I saw." Whenua fidgeted, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, you see…" He related the story of how he'd fallen in after saving Mavrah, and how she pulled him out of the water before falling unconscious. Now it was her turn to blink in confusion.

"I… don't really remember that…" She shut her eyes. "Why can't I remember? What's wrong with me?"

"I… I don't know what's wrong, Toa," said Whenua. "You've been unconscious since the incident, which was about a day ago." When the young woman remained silent, the Onu-Matoran asked her a question.

"Um, do you remember your name?" The female's brows creased as she struggled to remember her dream. She closed her eyes, and a distinct masculine voice murmured to her.

_"Rangi…"_

"I… I think my name is Rangi," she said, slowly opening her eyes. Whenua nodded.

"Rangi… It sounds like a Ga-Matoran name. Or a Le-Matoran's for that matter…" Rangi's mind drifted as her eyes surveyed her surroundings. The light was slightly dimmer than she remembered first opening her eyes to. She saw that she was lying on a small mattress covered by a dark grey blanket looking around at the pale grey walls. There was a desk in the corner with some sort of book or other pad and styluses strewn across it, along with a low bookshelf, dresser, and a small kitchenette and restroom in two adjacent rooms. She paused in her observations when she noticed Whenua had fallen silent, and she blushed.

"I'm sorry, I… I don't know where I am, or who you are." The Onu-Matoran smiled.

"My name is Whenua, Toa Rangi. I'm an Onu-Matoran and Archivist who works in the Archives here in Onu-Metru."

"It's nice to meet you, Whenua. And please," she said, smiling gently. "you can just call me Rangi." The Onu-Matoran smiled brightly, his emerald eyes sparkling at having made a new friend in this Toa. Rangi returned the smile, all thoughts of her nightmare forgotten.

"Ah, I see you are awake, Toa." Whenua and Rangi turned to see an elderly man with topaz eyes draped in dark crimson leaning on a walking stick topped with a glowing ember trapped within a clear orb.

"Um, hello," Rangi murmured hesitantly, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Whenua chuckled.

"No need to be afraid, Rangi," he said. The elderly man stepped forward and Whenua rushed to give him his seat beside the bed. Rangi blinked and bit her lower lip, hiding behind her bangs.

"No need to be afraid, Toa," the elder murmured, gently patting her hand. "My name is Dume, and I am the Turaga of the city of Metru Nui."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry, I do not remember much," she said, wringing her hands in her lap. "I only remember that my name is Rangi, and that Whenua has told me that I am also a Toa…" she trailed off, feeling frustrated and lost.

"It's all right, sister. Your memory will return in time, I'm sure of it," he said quietly. "But there are some things to discuss at the moment. Ah, Whenua, would you be so kind as to fetch Onepu and Mavrah? And please, do not allow Mavrah to disturb the other Archivists…" Rangi couldn't understand the momentary flicker of awareness that passed through Whenua's eyes, before he shuffled off the bed nodding.

"Of course, Turaga. I will return shortly." The female watched as her new friend ran out the door, closing it quietly behind him, and she felt a sudden jolt of terror as she realized she was in the room alone with this unfamiliar elder. Dume shifted so he faced the young woman, a twinkle in his eye.

"Ah, do not be afraid!" he said good-naturedly. "I am not a rahi like the Muaka, which would eat you as soon as look at you." Despite herself, Rangi smiled.

"There we are, Toa. Now, Whenua has told me that you were crying aloud in your sleep, thrashing around and shrieking in terror," the elder eyed Rangi, who had begun to chew on her lip again.

"I… dreamt about many… frightening things," she murmured, reluctantly dredging up hazy memories from the dream. "There were red clouds on the horizon, roiling… a pair of eyes surrounded by darkness closing in sleep…" She trailed off and looked at Turaga Dume.

"I'm sorry," said Rangi. "I don't really remember anything else." The elder patted her hand understandingly.

"It is quite all right, Toa. I'm sure everything will come back in time." Rangi heard the click of the door and in walked the three Onu-Matoran. The other two young men were dressed in similar black uniforms with gold belts, and name tags pinned to their left lapels. Rangi saw that the young man named Onepu had bright orange eyes and light brown hair, and the other one, Mavrah, who couldn't seem to sit still, had pale blond hair and light blue eyes. Whenua dragged a pair of chairs from his desk for his coworkers, before they sat in a semi-circle around Rangi.

"I wanted you all present to tell me how you found Toa Rangi," said Turaga Dume, looking at each of the Archivists in turn. Mavrah fidgeted the most, and Onepu elbowed him, silently telling him to stop. It was Mavrah who spoke first.

"We were down near the secret lake, doing our observations," said the Onu-Matoran. "One of the rahi swiped a tentacle at me, and Whenua barely managed to push me out of the way, but he ended up falling into the water himself." Whenua took a deep breath, remembering the moments of sheer panic he'd had. Then he spoke up.

"One of the other rahi tried to make me into its dinner, but I felt something pull me out of the way. When I looked back, the rahi that tried to kill me was at the bottom of the floor, and the other Sea Rahi were closing in on it."

"Afterward, we found out that the one who'd rescued Whenua was none other than the Toa here," Onepu added, tilting his head respectfully toward Rangi. Dume pondered their tale for a minute, before asking,

"How did you know she was a Toa? All I have heard is that she is one from Whenua-"

"We found her with this necklace, Turaga," Whenua said, opening a drawer in the bedside table next to Rangi and pulling out a thick black cord with a flat silver charm on it. He handed it to Dume as Rangi looked at it curiously. The charm had raised ridges on it, with two arches surrounding three ovals. Rangi blinked as she saw an image of six beings superimposed on the charm. They were looking back toward her, hands outspread, beckoning to her. She leaned forward, hand twitching, and gave a start as she was thrown back into the present. The Onu-Matoran and Turaga Dume were deep in conversation, leaving Rangi to think on what she'd just seen. She didn't notice Whenua beside her, looking at her with a worried expression on his face.

"Yes, it makes a little more sense now," said Dume, turning away from Onepu and Mavrah. He handed the necklace to Rangi. "I must ask you to keep your arrival here a secret for a time. I'll arrange for you to meet Toa Lhikan in a few days' time, to allow you to rest, Toa Rangi. I wish you a speedy recovery. And please, keep our city safe." The Turaga stood to leave, Onepu and Mavrah scrambling out of his way as he walked out the door. Onepu sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking out the window at the sunset.

"Well, it looks like it's time to go home. How 'bout it Mavrah?" The blond shook his head, eyes on Rangi.

"I think I'll stay here with the ra… er, Toa," he murmured. Onepu shrugged.

"Suit yourself." Rangi watched Onepu as he shut the door behind him, then looked out the window to her left. She could see people walking around outside, some in groups, chatting and laughing, others reading books of some sort. All of them were dressed in different colors, but they seemed to follow a set pattern of color. There were some who wore all shades of red, others who wore green or brown. She rarely saw one in all white or silver, and all those who wore blue were female. Whenua and Mavrah moved to the kitchenette, talking softly, but Rangi found that she could still hear their words as clearly as though they were standing next to her.

"What are you going to do about her?" asked Mavrah.

"I don't know. She can stay here until she's well enough to stay at the Coliseum with Toa Lhikan, though. I don't mind if she does." The female smiled and shifted until her legs dangled over the side of the bed, her feet touching the floor. She could hear the dull vibrations of sound running through the ground, and she quietly slipped off the bed, kneeling and pressing her ear to the ground. She could hear every breath and shift of cloth the two males made in the next room, and she could even hear some masculine voices laughing down the hallway outside. Sounds from outside began to blend in with what she could already hear close by, and she smiled wider as they seemed to form a song.

_"Why is it that I can hear what others cannot?"_ she thought to herself. _"Why is everything I hear like a melody?" _Suddenly, there was a discord in what she heard as the two males began to come out, and she gasped, lifting herself off the floor and sitting down on the bed. Mavrah came out first, flashing a smile at her.

"I'll see you later, Rangi!" he said, waving as he shut the door behind him. Whenua turned to look at her, but saw that her face had paled.

"What's wrong?" The female looked up at him.

"He looked at me like… Like I wasn't… what I am," she whispered. The Onu-Matoran frowned.

"Like a Toa? Mavrah's probably still in shock that he found a Toa below the Archives in the first place," he said, sitting down beside her. Rangi drew her knees up to her chin again, looking pensive. Whenua's face softened and he lay back on the bed, arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He kicked his legs that were dangling off the side of the bed.

"I can imagine it's hard, Toa Rangi, but it's not all bad here," he murmured. Rangi glanced at him, and she saw a kind smile in his emerald eyes. She turned away, blushing.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here. I know I'm probably imposing on you-"

"Imposing? Ha!" Whenua sat up laughing. "You're not imposing on anybody, Mata Nui knows!" He smiled. "We've been hoping another Toa would come to Metru Nui so he could help Toa Lhikan protect the city. Guess all that hoping paid off, huh?" Rangi smiled nervously at him.

"Guess so." Whenua smiled again, before getting up and stretching.

"I think it's about time for some food. You stay here and I'll make you some, all right?" He didn't give Rangi time to answer before he bounded into the kitchenette. The female blinked and chuckled softly. Despite the fact that she couldn't remember anything other than her name, she thought she could live through that and be happy here.


End file.
